“My pastures are looking lush, more filled, much less water traveling and much more forage – I expect to have pasture well into the end of January.” – Erin Pearson, program participant
HMI’s Future Farms & Ranches: Rappahannock program is bringing farmers together to learn how they can improve the quality of their lives and develop profitable and sustainable farms. The program kicked off in January of 2011 with a Town Seminar in Sperryville, Virginia where attendees were introduced to the core concepts and benefits of practicing Holistic Management. The next day, local farmers who signed up for the program were invited to attend a goal setting and decision-making class. As this is a year-long educational program, the participants have continued to receive training and mentoring in Holistic Management that has included:
Coaching phone calls with HMI Certified Educator, Peggy Sechrist,
Benchmark data collection on each of the farms
Grazing Planning and Biological Monitoring Classes with HMI Certified Educator, Ian Mitchell-Innes
Financial Planning Class with HMI Certified Educator, Roland Kroos
Consultative visits to each farm with HMI Certified Educator, Ian Mitchell-Innes
Study Group Meetings
Webinar with HMI’s Director of Education and HMI Certified Educator, Ann Adams on gross profit analysis, enterprise analysis and grazing planning
